Screen Juice: Sean Penn Hits ‘Empire’ With $10 Million Lawsuit

This year ‘Like a Prayer‘ songbird called on the star of the Fox series ‘Empire‘ Terrence Howard to star in her visual for the single ‘Ghost Town.’

Months later she finds herself at the heart of legal drama that threatens to rock the hit series before it returns for a second season in a matter of hours.

What’s going on?

Double standards and domestic abuse below…

The show’s mastermind Lee Daniels had this to say when asked why claims that Howard had assaulted his ex-wife wouldn’t affect his role on the series:

Terrence ain’t done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he’s some f—in’ demon. That’s a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America.

What Sean Penn has to do with Howard’s drama? The actor’s alleged abuse of the aforementioned Madonna which once saw him face claims that he knocked her over the head with a baseball bat…before he allegedly tied her to a chair for nine hours and beat her repeatedly and only stopped when she found a way to escape to find refuge in a police station.

Penn caught wind of Daniels’ comments and has now filed a defamation lawsuit against him.

NBC reports:

The $10 million suit, filed Tuesday in New York, claims that Daniels “falsely” linked Penn to domestic violence in a Sept. 16 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Tabloid stories during Penn’s four-year marriage with Madonna claimed that he physically abused the pop singer before they finally divorced in 1989.

The lawsuit paints Penn as an “American icon” and lists his humanitarian work. The filing also acknowledges that Penn, while a public figure, has been the subject of “scandalous” attacks and will “no longer tolerate the reckless and malicious behavior of others.”

Penn’s legal battle with Daniels is one of many scandals that have rocked his family in recent years. Not sure what we mean?

Watch the video below…